Get Your Website Ready for Heavy Traffic
Is there such a thing as your online marketing campaign working too well? That’s probably a difficult concept to swallow for many, especially those who simply aren’t getting enough traffic on their website!
But the fact is that it is possible for things on the online marketing side of things to go a little too right if your website isn’t prepared. Which is to say, if your website isn’t actually able to handle the traffic your campaign is going to bring in, then the net effect of the campaign could just end up being a worrying waste of time and money.
So before you start putting a lot of resources into a brilliant marketing campaign, you should probably take a few steps back and ensure that your website is ready to be visited. You may be surprised to hear just how many business owners make the mistake of driving people to their website before it’s actually ready. So what do you have to consider?
The content
Obviously, right? You need to make sure the visitors to your website actually have enough to look at. This may seem a little too obvious. But the amount of times I’ve been directed, by a potent marketing campaign, to a website that merely said “COMING SOON!” suggests that this point is perhaps not communicated as widely as it should be!
You’ve heard that content is king, right? Well, if you want to ensure that people who end up on your website are actually going to spend time on that website, then you need to bow to that king. Come up with a thorough content production plan and make sure you’ve got everything you need uploaded before you start marketing.
Traffic handling
When huge amounts of traffic swell towards a website, there’s always a technical risk. If the servers that are hosting your website aren’t built to remain active and sturdy when waves of visitors are clicking around on your website, then you’re going to see, at best, slow performance – and, at worst, a complete breakdown of the site.
You need to find a hosting service that is flexible and scalable. When you expect there to be heavier amounts of traffic as the result of a marketing campaign, then you need to be able to upgrade the capabilities of your host. The content management system you’re using will often dictate what kind of hosting you should be looking for. For example, if you’re using WordPress (as most are), then you should be on the lookout for the best managed WordPress hosting.
Usability
So you’ve got heaps of content on your website, enough to keep people compelled for days. You’ve got the technical capabilities on the backend to handle tens of thousand of visitors at a time. Sounds good. But if your website doesn’t feel good to use, or if the design is confusing, then none of that will matter much.
Your website needs to look professional and inviting. Don’t allow a focus on quality content to overshadow the need for great usability. Consider having your website tested by user experience experts before you get heavily into marketing.
Insanely Clever Marketing 